The Initiative
Wildlife and exotic pets are being displaced from their natural environments, making it hard for them to survive. Whether its deforestation in Texas or burning of rainforests around the world, more and more exotic animal species are losing their homes. We owe these birds, reptiles, and mammals appropriate care when they are sick and injured. We need to educate students, veterinarians, and the general public on the importance of supporting and caring for these creatures.
While all veterinary medical students go through similar training to become a veterinarian, which primarily covers dog, cats, horses, and cows, other species, such as exotic pets and wildlife, often are only briefly touched upon in the curriculum. For this reason, caring for them properly becomes more difficult.
Often money is also a concern in the care of injured or sick exotic pets and wildlife. At the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, we have the capabilities to provide medical treatments, diagnostics, and surgical procedures for these rare species, while providing training for students and veterinarians in this type of specialized care.
Our Objective
This endowment, initially sponsored by Dr. Jim Rohack and his wife Charli, helps fund veterinary care for exotic birds, reptiles, mammals, and wildlife. The endowment particularly focuses on emergency care, including specialized testing such as CAT scans, and specialized surgeries such as ovariectomies in birds. In addition, funds are also used to help offset the associated costs of maintaining specialized training laboratories where veterinary students learn how to treat exotic species.
Your Support
Through your support of The Sharman Hoppes Educational Endowment you can make a difference by assisting in the efforts of the college to provide veterinary medical training in the care of exotic animal species. Gifts to the endowment will provide funds to help cover the costs of caring for exotic animals treated that the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.
Contributing to The Sharman Hoppes Educational Endowment at the School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences makes you a valuable part of the team that is working to improve animal, public, and environmental health around the world. We would be very pleased to have you visit us and our veterinarians for a personal tour of their training laboratories to learn more about their efforts.